August 30, 2016

Petrified City is now available for pre-order for just $0.99

Welcome to Petrified City, where the dead don’t stay in the ground.

Ten years ago, an accident at the city chemical plant leaked toxins into the soil of the historic Brookwood Hill Cemetery. From the poisoned ground emerged the wraith – ghosts of the long dead who gorge on the energy sucked from the city’s dwindling population. Desperate to contain the threat, the government enclosed the city in a giant dome, trapping the wraith and the residents inside.

Now, there’s almost nothing left.

Sydney Cale – a thief with a strange and secret power – attempts to escape from the city’s jailers, only to find herself facing off against the wraith. She teams up with Alain, a raven shapeshifter who is a member of the Order of the Reapers, a powerful force who work to banish the wraith back to the underworld. Alain agrees to protect Sydney and her friend Diana in exchange for her help. She must enter the Citadel – the wraith compound in the center of the city – and steal back his kidnapped daughter.

But what Sydney finds inside the Citadel will change everything. The wraith are evolving, drawing energy from the decaying city itself. Soon, they will be powerful enough to break free of the dome. Sydney and Alain must stop the wraith before they escape and infect the world, even if that means dooming themselves, and everyone they love, to petrifying inside the dying city.

When I finished the Engine Ward series with Thorn back in April, I wasn’t sure when I’d next be publishing a pure fantasy or science fiction book. I adore speculative fiction with all my heart, but it is a lot harder to break into as an indie author than romance. My Steffanie Holmes books are doing so well, I’ve been focusing on writing and publishing more of those. I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to dig into my favourite genre once more.

As it turns out, fate presented me with a saviour, in the guise of author Lindsey R. Loucks. This chick is whip-smart, an amazing writer, and (best of all) a brutal line editor. Lindsey posted an announcement back in June inquiring if anyone might be interested in co-writing a book with her. I jumped at the chance.

What followed were days of excited brainstorming via email and google drive, as we came up with a concept and fleshed out a story of a decaying city, a maniacal man with a god complex (readers of my Engine Ward series know I do so love those), a broken hero, and a heroine who kick arse and talks tough but still wears her heart on her sleeve. I wrote the draft, and as I sent each chapter to Lindsey, she tore them to pieces and put them back together again into a stronger, better book than I could’ve ever created on my own.

I am so, so proud of this book. I’ve loved urban fantasy for years, ever since I read Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks and discovered that contemporary fantasy set in gritty cities filled with underground cults and strange creatures was actually a thing. To have made my own contribution to the genre gives me such a warm, happy feeling. I just hope it stands up alongside the greats.

A short FAQ:

Will there be paperbacks of Petrified City available?

If I buy a pre-order copy, when will I be able to read the book? Do I get it before the official release date of September 23?

When you pre-order on Amazon, your credit card isn’t charged until the release date. On that day, Amazon collects the money and automatically sends out the book file to your device. The only way to read Petrified City before the official release day is to either be a book reviewer, or be a member of my Patreon (which you should totally do!)

This book looks awesome! What can I do to help it become a success?

Please, if you think this book sounds like your kind of thing, support me by grabbing your copy, or forwarding it to a friend who loves dark, dystopian fantasy in an urban setting, or sharing it on social media, to just telling your workmates about the crazy blind chick writing books. Help us spread the word and find new readers. The more copies we sell on pre-order, the more Amazon helps to support our work getting in front of more people.

Thank you so much you guys, for your support over the years. I really hope you enjoy Petrified City!

If you want the details first when new books come out, then sign up for my newsletter (you get a couple of free books, too!). Or, better yet, become a Patreon backer and get all the behind-the-scenes info, more free books, bonus material, and my eternal gratitude

2 Comments on “Petrified City is now available for pre-order for just $0.99”

Dude, I miss them, too! It’s not that I don’t want to do them. At all. I have about 10 1/2 written on my computer. It’s a time thing. I just don’t have enough of it. Books make me money. The blog doesn’t, so sadly it’s been a bit neglected. The day I’m able to give up my day job is the day I can start posting a ton more :)

Thanks for the feedback, seriously. It means a lot to me to hear that you miss them! I will try to finish off one and get it up next week.

Bogdan

September 8, 2016 at 3:10 pm

Hey Steff. I have been following your site for some time now and i have to ask, what happened to the cool metalhead life posts? They were awesome. I don`t mean to be an ass, i understand the need to promote your books more often and the fact that it is time consuming. Just wondering if they are gonna become a “thing” again.

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There are plenty of blogs online about metal music, but they only tell half the story. More About Steff